


Dance Your Way into My Heart

by MsKRyan_ox



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-16 08:12:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3480833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsKRyan_ox/pseuds/MsKRyan_ox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new year, a new season and yet another high profile partner for Derek Hough, but does this celebrity have what it takes to not only take home the Mirror Ball Trophy, but the heart of the man that is making her see that she can find love again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> FYI this story starts taking place two years before the all-star season. Oh, and for the purposes of this story the Lynch Family and the band R5 doesn't exist in the present timeline (even though I absolutely love the Lynch Family and R5)…
> 
> Enjoy! xo

Prologue

* * *

_The formally dress crowd was on their feet as he and several other choreographers that he knew stood on the large stage in some of their best outfits. All of them were trying to catch their breath as they watched the beautiful blonde and brunette that stood in front of them. It was these two mysterious women though that put him completely at ease standing up there._

" _And now, ladies and gentlemen, to find out which of these amazing choreographers will take home the Emmy," the blonde started and as the words left her mouth, Derek could feel butterflies erupt in his stomach. He was obviously at the Emmy's and he was nominated for something, obviously the blonde just said so. This had only happened once or twice before and now, for the first time he was standing in front of an audience waiting to hear whether or not he was the one bringing home the statuette._

" _Please welcome to the stage," the brunette continued for the blonde, "This year's winners for Outstanding_ _Reality Show Hosts Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum." The brunette and blonde walked off the stage as the presenters made their way to the microphone. Before the brunette stepped to her next mark on the opposite side of the stage, she grabbed Derek's hand and squeezed it. This simple gesture made all of the butterflies disappear and once again he felt calm, as he turned to listen to Tim and Heidi with baited breath._

_"Hi everybody," Heidi greeted, "It is now our pleasure to present the Emmy for Outstanding Choreography."_

_"The nominees are the brilliant artists who did this fantastic work this season and created that amazing dance number we all just saw," Tim explained, "And they are for 'Dancing with the Stars' Derek Hough with two nominations - one solo nomination and one with Alison Holker. for Roger's and Hammerstein's 'Carousel' Live from the Lincoln Centre Warner Carlyle. For 'So You Think You Can Dance' Sonya Tayeh, Mandy Jo Moore, Napolean and Tabitha Dumo and Travis Wall." The audience cheered as each nominee wad announced. Heidi flipped the envelope around and broke the seal as she leaned towards the microphone._

_"And the Emmy goes to," Heidi Klum paused for dramatic effect, "Derek Hough - Dancing with the Stars. Congratulations." The Nokia Theatre filled with the 'Dancing with the Stars' theme as Derek hugged the other nominees. In the audience, Derek could make out the cast and personnel of the show that made it to the show for him jump to their feet, screaming and hollering their congratulations as Derek made his way to the microphone. Shaking hands with Tim Gunn, Derek took the statue thatwas being offered to him by Heidi before turning to look at the audience, his complete shock all over his face._

_"Wow, wow, wow, wow, thank you guys! I love you," Derek started, "I want to thank the BBC, Conrad Greene, Ashley Eden, um, the whole team at 'Dancing with the Stars.' My mom, my dad, all my sisters - Julianne, I love you. Um, Corky and Shirley Ballas, Mark Ballas and uh, holy crap. Kay, baby, I love you and you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. Thank you for putting up with my sleepless nights and craziness these past few weeks. Riker, I love you and I hope you're being good for your uncle. And thank you to the Emmy's for inviting us to this party. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Thank you guys."_


	2. Ever Ever After

Chapter One: Ever Ever After

* * *

Derek Hough shot up in bed as his alarm went off interrupting the amazing dream that he was having. Running his hands through his messed up blonde hair, Derek looked down at his lap confused. His dream had felt so alive, so real. It also made a lot of questions come to mind.

The Emmy's?

Sure, he had two nominations again this year, but he was nominated with Cheslie Hightower, not Alison Holker. And who the hell was Kay? Even more importantly, who was Riker and why did he want to make sure he was being good for his uncle?

The dream was just so weird. He could place all of the faces that he had seen in his dream except for two. The two faces that for the life of him he just couldn't see; the blonde that was obviously 'hosting' the show with the brunette that made him so comfortable and so completely at ease up there onstage. With just a touch of her hand moments before he won the Emmy, she made all of the butterflies disappear. Derek sank back against his pillows as he tried to make sense of everything.

Derek lay in bed for another fifteen minutes before he shook his head in defeat and threw off the blankets. It was time to start his day.

Another year, another season and yet another high profile partner. According to Conrad Greene, he needed to get to LAX where he would need to board a flight to Toronto, Canada where his celebrity partner would be waiting for him. He hadn't been given a lot of information on his partner this year, except for the fact that he needed to be in Toronto since she could leave until all the promotion for her upcoming tour was finished and she had been a car accident the previous year that might limit some of her movement.

With the exception of some of the things that he would need this morning, his suitcase was packed and sitting by the front door ready to go with everything he would need for the next three weeks. But, even though he was packed and ready for almost he anything, he had no idea what to be prepared for. He was almost sure that he was going to have to make appearances with this celebrity partner and he was pretty sure that they were going to be practicing, but other than those two situations he had no idea what was going to be waiting for him in Toronto.

He had no idea what this partner was going to be like or if they were even able to dance. Derek sighed. It may be just another year, another season and yet another high profile partner, but he had a good feeling about it that he just couldn't shake.

Locking the door to his home, Derek smiled.

* * *

" _Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line and platinum recording artist Kayleigh Ryan finalized their pending divorce today after three years of marriage and a six month separation_ ," reported the radio host to the city of Toronto as the woman in question sat in the early morning rush hour traffic on her way to the studio, " _The pair had a whirlwind romance five years ago that Hollywood and the rest of North America fell in love with and by all accounts this divorce is completely and utterly mutual. But, what I want to know Jared is what went wrong?_ "

" _I don't know, Lexi, like you said_ -"

"Nothing went wrong," the artist explained to no one in particular as she muted her car radio for the third time that morning, "We just couldn't live the way we were anymore." A single tear ran down her cheek as she spoke. She really did love Brian, but they barely ever saw each other on a good day. On a bad day, they didn't even speak to one another when they had a moment to themselves. It wasn't fair to each other to hold on to the romance that no longer existed, not with their busy lives.

Kayleigh wiped the tear away from her chin as the traffic let up. It was a new day and she was going to move on with her life. She had signed up to do  _Dancing with the Stars_  and her pain in the ass family doctor just cleared her to not only compete on the reality show, but to put on the greatest tour that her and her team of choreographers could put together.

She could hear her phone vibrating in the seat beside her, but Kayleigh just rolled her eyes as she came to another red light. She knew who was calling and she knew exactly why. It was quite obvious that her manager was trying to get a hold of her. He had been trying to do so since she had gone with her little brother, Lucas to her lawyer's office to put the final nail in her already dead marriage early yesterday morning. She, however, was trying desperately to ignore him.

She didn't need to hear him go on and on about how her marriage was good for the tabloids, that her fans not only envied her, but loved her for the marriage she had. He didn't seem to care that she felt like she was drowning in the lies that he had been spinning. He only cared about the money she brought in, but had no appreciation for the hard work that was put into bringing the money in.

Kayleigh felt like he was trying to work her to death some days. He barely cared about the fact that she had been in a horrific accident the previous year. She cringed as she thought about the accident. Both she and Brian had been in the car, driving home from visiting his band mate, Tyler Hubbard when a semi had run a red light and t-boned them before pushing them into the ditch. Brian had walked away with a concussion and a herniated disk in his back, but according to the doctors had the semi hit the passenger side door head on, she wouldn't have walked away with just a slightly herniated disk in her neck. She wouldn't have walked away at all

The accident had also been the beginning of the end for her and Brian. Being forced to take it slow and actually sit down at home, her and Brian realised that while they still loved one another, the magic that had once been there, no longer existed. Neither one of them wanted to give up though. They lived like that for two months before legally separating.

The separation had been a hope for both of them that during their time away from one another, the magic would return and there would be no reason for them to take any further steps. The hope had been false and after four months with basically little to no contact, the pair decided that it was better for them to be friends, friends that used to be married, but friends nonetheless.

' _He's a good time cowboy Casanova  
Leaning up against the record machine…'_

Kayleigh jumped slightly when the familiar ringtone erupted from the phone sitting beside her. Kayleigh chuckled, a smile spreading across her face, as she blindly fished the Bluetooth headset out of her purse and answered the phone.

"Hi Carrie."

" _Why didn't you tell me that you and Brian signed the divorce papers yesterday_ ," questioned the familiar southern drawl of the former American Idol winner. Kayleigh chuckled.

"Yes, I'm fine. How are you?"

" _Oh, you want a normal conversation_ ," Carrie Underwood teased, through the phone, " _Hi Kay, how the heck are ya? What's this I hear about you and your husband-"_

"Ex-husband," the singer corrected.

" _Potato, potato,_ " Carrie joked,  _"Well, since you asked, I'm a little annoyed. You see, my close friend, who I introduced to Brian Kelley about five years ago recently divorced him and I had to hear the news through Country Radio. What kind of friend does that?_ "

"The kind of friend that told you two months ago that she and Brian were actually going to be getting divorced," Kayleigh answered, as she pulled into the parking lot of the studio that had become a home away from home for her since she was seventeen. As she parked her car, Kayleigh could hear Carrie grumble into the phone.

" _I didn't realise that you were going to be signing the papers that quickly_ ," Carrie explained, " _It seems just like yesterday that you were looking for an opening act for your world tour_."

"Yeah, well, the sore kink in my neck and the lack of bags under my eyes would beg to differ," Kayleigh answered, as she leaned back in her seat, "How's Mike?"

" _Don't you be changing the subject_ ," Carrie snapped, but Kayleigh couldn't help the snicker that slipped out. Even when she was trying to be angry with her, Carrie still sounded more like a young toddler holding a tantrum.

" _I want to know why you didn't tell me_ ," Carrie said, " _Mike's doin' fine by the way_."

"Good, good," Kayleigh answered, "And I'm still trying to work my mind around it, Carrie. I had two months to wrap my mind around the fact that I was getting divorced and I still can't believe it. Anyways, the only people that really knew that Bri and I were signing the papers were the two of us, our parents, Luke and our lawyers."

" _I don't think anyone in North America believes it, Kay_ ," Carrie commented, " _You and Bri were perfect for each other_."

"Perfect in theory," Kayleigh told her friend, "Bri and I, we are much too similar and with Florida Georgia Line finally taking off and me working on this upcoming album and tour, our relationship just fell to the side. Neither one of us deserve that."

" _Do you think you'll get back together?_ "

"It's over, Carrie."

" _Nothing's over until the fat lady sings_."

"Well," Kayleigh sighed, "The fat lady has sung, done her dance and has gone home. Now, I have a recording session that I need to get to, so I'll call you later."

" _You better_ ," Carrie chuckled and with that they both hung up their phones. Kayleigh pulled her cell phone into her lap and looked through her contacts until her thumb landed on the name that she had been looking for.  _Brian Kelley_. Her thumb hovered over the number for a little bit, before she shook her head, locked her phone and tossed it back into her purse.

"It's for the best, Kayleigh Rebecca Ryan," she told herself, before throwing her purse over her shoulder and exiting the car. Things could only get better from here.

* * *

Derek found himself sitting in the passenger's pick-up location at Toronto Pearson Airport a few hours later. His celebrity partner had been kind enough to send him her private jet, which had given him the time to start planning the choreography for the very first dance. Admittedly, there wasn't much that he could do though due to the lack of information on who this celebrity partner was.

The staff on the jet had been kind though. The personal flight attendant made sure that he was fed when he had gotten hungry and there was never a lack of water when he was thirsty. He just wished that he had been given a tiny bit of information on who their boss was. It would have made his struggle with the choreography a tiny bit easier.

As he was sitting there waiting for whoever was supposed to pick him up (the pilot had informed him that this generous celebrity partner, whoever she was, made sure that he was going to be quite taken care of during his stay in her hometown), his phone began to vibrate loudly in his pocket. Looking at the caller ID, Derek smiled when he saw the name of his best friend and partner in crime, Mark Ballas.

"What's up, my man," Derek greeted.

"I'm wondering where you are," Mark answered, "It's the first day of Dancing with the Stars rehearsals; we usually go to lunch."

"I'm in Toronto," Derek explained, "Partner couldn't get away from her crazy schedule until the announcement for her upcoming summer tour."

"Oh, wow," Mark answered, "They tell you anything else about her?"

"Nothing really," Derek explained, "I was told that she had been a car accident, but she was cleared to compete. I was also told that I would have to fly to Toronto, until she was able to travel to LA. She even set me her private jet." Mark whistled.

"Private jet, huh," Mark repeated, "Well, whoever she is, she's got to be a pretty big deal. Oh, by the way that singer you've been going on about since you heard her first album, Kayleigh?"

"Yeah?"

"Her and her husband just got divorced?"

"Seriously?"

"Yep, apparently the divorce is completely mutual too," Mark gossiped, "There are no bad feelings between her and uh-"

"Brian," Derek supplied.

"Yeah, no ill feelings between her and Brian," Mark finished.

"And just how do you know this," Derek asked, his voice sounding slightly suspicious of the information that Mark was giving him.

"My partner told me," Mark explained, "Her and Kayleigh are quite close actually and they both decided to do  _Dancing with the Stars_  this year." Derek's heart stopped for a moment. Kayleigh was doing  _Dancing with the Stars_  this year? And he was being flown to Toronto, her hometown?

"Mark, I think I'm her partner," Derek said, just as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Mark started laughing as Derek turned to see a well-dressed older gentleman standing behind him.

"Uh, yes?"

"Derek Hough," the older gentleman asked, causing Derek to nod, "Oh good, I've been sent by my employer-"

"Kayleigh Ryan," Derek asked, causing the older gentleman to give him a smile and nod.

"Yes, she sent me to pick you up," the older gentleman explained, "Ms. Ryan sends her apologies, she wanted to pick you up herself and show you around the city before you begin rehearsals tomorrow, but her manager, Allan, called her into the studio this morning and she hasn't been able to get away."

"Oh, " Derek answered, sounding slightly deflated, "Well, I guess you could drop me off at the closest hotel and then we could meet-"

"Oh no, sir, Ms. Ryan has given me clear and precise instructions to drive you to the studio," the older gentleman explained, as he began to gather Derek's many bags onto the trolley that he had brought with him, "Allan won't be able to keep her in the studio much longer, and then she will show you the city just like she had planned to do."

"No, it's alright, I'm sure we can-"

"Mr. Hough," the older gentleman said, his voice much more stern that had been before, "Ms. Ryan will be expecting us at the studio, so I think it is best we get on our way." Derek nodded, realising that there was no use arguing with the man. He obviously took his job very seriously and was not about to have someone tell him to disobey a direct request from his employer. Following behind the older gentleman, Derek shivered in the brisk cold air of Toronto. Despite the cold though, his good feeling from this morning never disappeared.

* * *

The older gentleman lead Derek through the winding halls of the old recording studio in the greater Toronto area towards a room that he seemed very familiar with. Derek's many bags were still in the town car that he had picked him up in and were going to be driven to Kayleigh's condo, where Derek would be occupying the guest room.

He was unsure if this overstepping a boundary with his celebrity partner, but according to the producer Derek called upon finding out where he would be staying, Kayleigh had insisted that they not book him a hotel room and that he was welcome to stay in her guest room for as long as they were in Toronto.

It was then that her familiar voice filled Derek's ears.

_It may only be a wish away_

_Start a new fashion,_  
Wear your heart on your sleeve  
Sometimes you reach what's real by making believe  
Unafraid, unashamed  
There is joy to be claimed in this world  
You even might wind up being glad to be you

_Ever ever after…_

The older gentleman opened the door that lead to the listening area just as Kayleigh reached the chorus to a song that Derek was unfamiliar with. And if Derek wanted to be honest with himself, there weren't many of Kayleigh's songs that Derek was unfamiliar with. Mock him if you wish, but Derek was quite proud of the fact that he had practically memorized her entire catalogue by both album and song.

 _No wonder you heart feels it's flying_  
Your head feels it's spinning  
Each happy ending's a brand new beginning  
Let yourself be enchanted  
You just might break through

 _To ever ever after_  
Forever could even start today  
Ever ever after  
Maybe, it's just one wish away  
Your ever ever after

There was a group of people gathered in the booth, listening to Kayleigh as she held a long note. In the corner of the room, Derek saw a short balding man, that looked extremely uninterested with the sound that was filling the room and making most of the occupants smile. This man he recognized as the small man that could be seen in practically every photo of Kayleigh. This was her manager.

"You must be her professional partner," commented a blonde that came to stand beside him, "I'm the best friend and confidant, Jenn, you'll be seeing a lot of me while you're in Toronto." Derek took the hand that was being offered to him.

"Derek H-"

"Oh, we know who you are," a brunette interrupted, "Alexandra, the other best friend and personal assistant and might I just say that Kayleigh is going to flip when she finds out that she is dancing with you." As Alexandra finished speaking the crowd gathered into applause as Kayleigh entered the room, a small shy smile on her face.

"Kay, you'll never guess, who you're-"

"Derek Hough," he interrupted, before the tall blonde could continue speaking. Kayleigh looked up at him wide eyed, a slight blush spreading across her face.

"Kayleigh Ryan," she greeted, "And boy am I glad that you're my professional partner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics belong to Carrie Underwood...


	3. A Day Dream

II: A Day Dream

* * *

Derek watched as Kayleigh walked into the room, telling those gathered to stop applauding; telling them that what she had just done wasn't even all that great. She was crazy if she thought what she had just recorded wasn't jaw dropping. The voice of an angel and the body of a... Derek's train of thought paused, as the blonde next to him called to the brunette bringing her over towards them just so they could meet.

"Kay, you'll never guess who you're-"

"Derek Hough," he interrupted holding his hand out for the singer, before the blonde could continue. Derek watched as Kayleigh looked up at him with her deep brown eyes. Derek also could have sworn that a light blush had spread across her pale cheeks, but he was probably blushing just as much as she was.

"Kayleigh Ryan," she answered, taking the hand that was being offered to her, "And boy, am I glad that you're my professional partner. I've been a fan of yours since you danced with Jennie Garth." If he wasn't blushing before, Derek was definitely blushing now. The two of them continued to shake hands and look at one another until her greasy manager came towards them holding a stack of papers.

"Kay, baby, that was amazing," he wheezed, "Or should I say ah-kay-zing?"

"Please don't," Kayleigh winced, "You know I really hate when you say that." Allan ignored her though, and just continued talking about the interviews and appearances that he had lined up for her in the coming weeks. He told her about how they had to advertise her upcoming album and tour and how she had to put on a brave face out in a public now that her divorce was making headlines.

"Now Bryan and Tyler have agreed to do the Morning-"

"What," Kayleigh said, snapping her head up to look Allan in the eye, "What did you just say about Bri and T-Hubb?"

"They're going to join you for your appearance on the Morning Show later this week," Allan explained, placing his hand on her shoulder in what Kayleigh was sure to be a comforting gesture. Instead it just made her want to get away from him.

"We need to reinstate for the fans that your divorce is completely mutual since the two of decided to actually go through it," Allan continued, "The three of you going onto the Morning Show to perform the songs  _This Is How We Roll_  and  _Just A Fool_ , will do just that. Understand?" Kayleigh looked up at Allan and nodded, but in reality all she wanted to do is get out there.

"Um, I got to go, Derek Hough from the show is here and I-I just want to get started," Kayleigh lied. Allan didn't need to know that she was planning to show Derek her favourite parts of the city. He would just advise her against it, thinking that he was protecting her from what the malicious headlines would say. In reality, he was making her feel like a caged animal at the zoo.

"Okay, go, go," he said, leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek, but Kayleigh ducked out of the way, grabbing her purse and jacket in the process. She needed to get out of there and as quickly as possible. Walking over to where Jenn and Alexandra were standing with Derek, a smile crept onto her face.

"Hey," she greeted once more, "Sorry about that. He just wanted to let me know about the Morning Show appearance."

"Is everything-" Alexandra started, but Kayleigh quickly cut her off.

"You ready Derek," Kayleigh asked, "The city of Toronto usually waits for no one." The three girls chuckled, causing Derek to look at the three of them in amusement. They looked so at ease with one another. That kind of companionship came from years of friendship.

"Uh yeah, do you want to go and find, uh-"

"Matthias," Kayleigh supplied, a smile sweeping across her face again, "No, we don't need him to drive us. I drove myself in this morning. Let's just say that I, uh, needed the time to think." Derek nodded, but he was sure that it wasn't just that she needed the time to think. If Mark's gossip had been spot on this morning, she needed the time to just be alone and not think about anything at all.

"So, I guess we're good to go then," Derek said, scratching the back if his head.

"Okay," Kayleigh smiled, "I'll call you ladies later. Stay out of trouble."

"Do something we wouldn't do," Jenn joked, causing Kayleigh to stop mid-step to smack her friend on the arm.

"Oh, why don't you just go find JJ," Kayleigh joked, "I'm sure that he'll scratch whatever itch you have." Derek watched as Jenn's face turned bright red, just as he and Kayleigh walked out of the studio and back into the winding hallways. Sliding on her jacket as she walked, Kayleigh couldn't help, but think about the blonde dancer walking behind her.

"Are you hungry," Kayleigh asked, as they came to an external door, "I know this great place that serves a great lunch and has amazing service."

"I don't have any Canadian money on me," Derek answered, looking at the singer sheepishly. Kayleigh chuckled and nodded.

"It's okay," she told him, "It'll be my treat."

"You don't have to do that," Derek assured her, as led him towards the only classic car in the entire parking, "I mean you're already letting me stay in your condo, the least I can do is pay for lunch."

"Derek," Kayleigh started, "It's fine, don't worry about it." She quickly pulled out her keys and unlocked the doors to her car, causing Derek to pause and look at it in appreciation. Letting out a low whistle, Derek ran his hand through his hair.

"You have a beautiful car," Derek complimented.

"Thanks," Kayleigh said, smiling as she ran her gloved hand over the roof of the car, "1967 Chevrolet Impala, the first thing I ever bought when the money started coming in." Derek nodded before getting into the car. She was definitely more interesting than he had ever imagined her to be.

* * *

Derek let Kayleigh lead him down the street away from the car park where she had parked her classic car without any fear if it being stolen or broken into. Derek had no idea where she was taking him, but he could tell that the brunette was familiar with the destination. It looked like they were in an older part of the city that looked to be in the midst of an update when winter had hit the Canadian city.

"Where are we going," Derek asked, as the singer continued to lead him down the street past several Greek themed stores and restaurants. Kayleigh turned to look at him, her brown hair wiping around in the cold air.

"Sorry, forgot you aren't from around here," she apologized, her red cheeks glowing even more, "We're heading to one of my favourite places to eat on the Danforth." Derek nodded, smiling at the familiar smile that spread across her face. The brunette lead the dancer past a couple of more store windows, before she turned towards a door, holding it open for him. As soon as Derek walked through the door, his nose was filled with the smell of coffee and pastries.

"Hi Kayleigh," greeted a young boy that stood behind the counter in a black apron, "Do you want the usual?"

"Yeah, Nate, that'll be good," Kayleigh answered, offering the young boy a sincere smile, "And give my friend here the same."

"You got it," Nate chuckled, clapping his hands together as he got to work pulling a knife from the block on the opposite counter before walking over to the counter that held some of the most delicious pastries that Derek had ever seen.

"How's your mother doing? Is she getting any better," Derek heard Kayleigh asked. He could hear genuine concern for the unknown woman in the question. He watched as the young boy shook his head in response, grabbing a couple of plates for the pastries he was cutting.

"She's still sick," Nate explained, "But, she sends her love. I think she's still holding out for the day you'll come back to work for her."

"Why would I do thing like that," Kayleigh joked, as she took the plates that were being offered to her, "You're doing a great job all on your own. And Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep the change, buy yourself that computer you need for school," she said, handing the young boy enough money to cover the food and drinks and then some. Derek grabbed a quiet table in the corner of the café, while Kayleigh hugged the young boy. There had been stories of her charitable heart, about how she tried to help those in her hometown.

"Kayleigh, I-I can't," Nate told her trying to hand the singer back her change, but Kayleigh stepped farther away from him.

"No, Nate just keep it," she told him, taking his face in one of her hands, "Just remember to thank me when you win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature." They both chuckled as she joined Derek at the table.

"That was quite nice of you," Derek commented, as he took the coffee that she was handing to him.

"That was nothing," she answered, as she cut some of the cheesy Greek pastry with her fork, "I've known that kid since he first started drawing. It's the least I could do since I handed the kid his first heartbreak." Derek choked on his coffee, before looking up at Kayleigh with wide eyes.

"His first heartbreak," Derek repeated, after he finished coughing, "That sounds like an interesting story."

"It's not that interesting," Kayleigh said with a shrug of her shoulders. Derek looked at her skeptically, causing Kayleigh to try and avoid making eye contact with Derek. It was when he finally made caught her eye that she succumbed to telling him the story that he wanted to know.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you," Kayleigh sighed, "I was working for his mom after school and on the weekends before my music career really took off, and while I worked Nate would do his homework, I would help him with what I could when it wasn't busy. Anyways, Valentine's Day my senior year, I didn't have a date, so I volunteered to work the evening shift. I think Nate was about twelve at the time."

"So, he was just on the cusp of discovering girls," Derek commented, as he cut another piece of his pastry. Kayleigh nodded as she sipped her coffee.

"Yeah, well, I was getting ready to close up and call my dad to come and get me, when this twelve year old kid comes down in his plaid pyjamas and hands me a beautiful red rose," Kayleigh recalled, "He hands it to me and tells me that only the most beautiful women deserve beautiful flowers. I was shocked."

"I bet."

"I told him that I couldn't accept it, that I didn't deserve it," Kayleigh continued, a hint of sadness in her voice, "He disagreed, but I persisted. I told him that he would find a girl much more deserving of that rose in a few more years."

"Did he find one," Derek asked, looking over to the boy that was now cleaning the counters. Kayleigh shrugged.

"Maybe," Kayleigh answered, a hint of a smile on her face, "I think he gave the rose to his mom though, he was a real mama's boy back then."

* * *

Kayleigh and Derek stumbled into her condo a few hours later. After finishing up at the small café, Kayleigh had taken Derek around to her favourite parts of the city she grew up in. They had just started walking through a park she had ridden bikes with her brother when they were younger when snow had started to fall, turning their walk into a very slow stroll.

They had spent the entire day exchanging stories about their lives and quite frankly, Kayleigh had never felt this close to a complete stranger only a few hours after meeting them. Derek watched as Kayleigh slid of her leather jacket and draped it on the back of an arm chair that sat in her beautifully decorated living room.

The both of them were slipping off their shoes when Kayleigh lost her balance. She tried reaching for the wall, but grabbed onto Derek's shoulder instead sending them both to the ground with him on top of her. And it was then that the perspective shifted. Kayleigh looked up at him, both of them slightly breathless. Derek was smirking with mischief, while his short blonde hair was falling over his forehead. He saw Kayleigh's brown eyes widen, her pupils darken and then she leaned up and kissed him. Less than a second later, he kissed back. The two continued to kiss until Kayleigh pulled away.

"Derek," she said, looking up at him with bruised lips, "Derek, Derek, oh my god are you okay?" It was then that Derek shook his head and looked down at the singer underneath him and noticed that her lips weren't swollen and realised that the kiss had just been a daydream.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, "You okay?"

"Umm yeah," Kayleigh said, as he helped her to her feet once more. As soon as they were both on their feet, Kayleigh scratched the back of her neck and looked around the room, as if she trying to avoid looking at the man that was standing in front of her.

"So, uh," Derek started, looking at little bit out of his element.

"Right," Kayleigh said, turning back to look at him, "You're welcome to anything that may be in the kitchen. I haven't had the chance to go grocery shopping yet, so there might not be a lot in there. I guess, I'll have either Alex or Jenn do some of the shopping while we're, uh, practicing." Derek nodded and followed her as she made her way down a hallway that was lined with golden records and a few novelty items that he was sure also belonged to her ex-husband.

"The dance studio is down that set of stairs," Kayleigh pointed, "It's got pretty much everything we need, uh, bathrooms are there and there, but the guest room also has an en-suite." Kayleigh pointed at different doors, causing Derek to nod. He was sure that he would get used to the condo in a couple of days.

"I think that's pretty much it," Kayleigh sighed, scratching the back of her head trying to figure out if there was anything that she may have forgotten to tell her guest. It was then that a small black and white cat began to wind itself in between her legs. Kayleigh forgot about what she was doing and leaned down to scratch the small cat's head.

"This is Salem," she said, looking up at Derek, "He's not allowed out of the apartment, so you just have to remember to shut the front door and the patio door, but the patio door is pretty much not a worry since it's like below zero right now." Derek nodded, as the cat walked up at him looking at the dancer curiously. Before Kayleigh or Derek could even say anything, Salem began winding himself around Derek's legs, causing Kayleigh to smile.

"He doesn't usually like people," Kayleigh explained, as Derek leaned down to scratch Salem's head, "He usually just runs and hides in my room. It took him weeks before he warmed up to-" Derek looked up as Kayleigh cut herself off with a shake of the head. He was sure that she was going to mention her ex-husband and how long it had taken for her beloved pet to warm up to him in comparison to Derek, but she stopped herself before she could even say it.

"Well, I'm sure you're probably exhausted from your flight and me showing you around the city," Kayleigh said, as soon as Salem felt that he had received enough attention, "I'll show you, your room and we can get started on our first dance tomorrow."

"Yeah, that would be great," Derek said, getting to his feet once more, "Do you know if anyone brought my bags?"

"Matthias or Jenn probably dropped them off," Kayleigh said, "I didn't see them up front, so they probably already put them in he– and they're not here." Derek looked past Kayleigh into the guest room that she just opened to see that his bags were nowhere to be seen. Kayleigh scratched her head, looking slightly confused.

"Well, I guess, I'll just, uh," Derek stuttered, trying to figure out something to say. The situation was already too awkward already. He had literally just day dreamed about kissing this woman and now he had come to find out that his suitcases hadn't been delivered to her condo. Kayleigh shook her head and just chuckled.

"Derek, it's fine," Kayleigh assured him, "I probably have some of my brother's clothing here somewhere, let me just get it from, oh Lord love a duck I'm going to kill her." Derek's brow furrowed as Kayleigh switched on her bedroom light to find his suitcases sitting on her bed.

"I take this is your friend's doing then," Derek said, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Yeah," Kayleigh answered, "She thinks she's being funny, but in reality she just makes things a little-"

"Awkward," Derek offered, causing Kayleigh to nod.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Well, I guess I won't have to go looking for some of those clothes for you after all. I'm really sorry about Jenn, she, she, she…she's my best friend and I have to keep her around. She knows all of my secrets." The pair chuckled as Derek lifted his suitcases off of Kayleigh's bed and moved across the hall.

"Goodnight."


	4. Bang Bang

III: Bang Bang

* * *

_Get your shine on_  
'Cause you and me will be rockin' all night long  
Summer sky dripping rhinestones,  
Turn your party lights on,  
Baby get your shine on - shine on!

_Baby, get your shine on!_

The ringtone started to repeat for the third time as Kayleigh's hand shot out from under the large burgundy duvet on her bed and started feeling around her nightstand trying to find the phone that was making the sleep-offending noise when it was obviously much to early in the morning. She already knew who was calling, the ringtone told her as much. And even though her and Bryan were friends, she was going to have to revoke his friendship if he insisted on calling her at…

"It's six in the morning, Bryan," she groaned, into the phone when she answered it, "This better be an emergency or I might just have to kill you…" Kayleigh heard the familiar chuckle of her ex-husband on the phone as she lay back down against her pillows.

"Well, aren't you just a ball of sunshine in the morning," Bryan joked, causing Kayleigh to groan at how cheery he sounded.

"Bryan, I'm going to hang up if you-"

"You might want to check out the headlines," Bryan interrupted before she could finish her threat, "It seems like your little all-day outing with that dancer you like from that reality show made front page news." Kayleigh tried to run her manicured nails through her tangled hair, groaning at what she knew those headlines were trying to imply.

"Bri, I swear, whatever those headlines are saying, it isn't tru-"

"I know," Bryan assured her over the phone, his voice ringing in her ears, "We may not be together anymore, but we were together for five years, Kay, I know how you feel about cheating and I know that you would have never done that." Kayleigh smiled, as she listened to him. There was no denying it; she and Bryan had come to a mutual understanding when it came to those malicious headlines. The media just couldn't accept the fact that it was going to be a friendly Hollywood divorce, so they were trying to come up with almost anything to try to put them against one another and make it look like her and Bryan had deep dark secrets that they had been hiding from one another. It was the opposite though, if there was anyone who knew her better than Alexandra and Jenn, besides her own family, it was Bryan and visa versa.

"So, he's your partner for Dancing with the Stars," Bryan asked, as Kayleigh slowly left the warmth of her bed to walk into her closet, "You've got be ecstatic."

"No doubt about it," she joked, as she searched through the drawers, trying to find something comfortable for what she was sure going to be a full day of learning and dancing, "I also heard that we're going to be doing the Morning show together later this week to prove that this is completely and utterly mutual."

"Or we're just going to be starting rumors that you and I can't live without one another now that we're divorced," Bryan joked, "But, yeah, T-Hubb and I just found out about the Morning Show this morning."

"This morning," Kayleigh asked, as she pulled out a few of our work-out clothes, "What time were the two of you up?"

"Never went to sleep actually…"

"I never understood how you and Ty did that," she commented, "I need my sleep thank you very much."

"Tell me about it," Bryan chuckled, "I'm never making that mistake again." The former married couple laughed together, until they were interrupted by a knock on Kayleigh's bedroom door. Wrapping her silk robe around her, Kayleigh walked over to the door and opened it to see Derek very much awake and waiting for her. Bidding Bryan farewell, she indicated to Derek that she only needed a few more minutes before she would be ready for their long day of rehearsal.

"So, you never told me what our first dance was going to be," Kayleigh mentioned, as she walked out of her room a few minutes later.

"Oh, I thought I did," he answered, once he looked the singer up and down, appreciating how well she filled out her work-out clothes, "We're doing the jive."

"Jive, huh, don't have much experience with that."

"That's okay," Derek chuckled, "That's why I'm here." The pair laughed, as Kayleigh led them towards the kitchen. She always found that she worked and concentrated much longer when she had something to eat in the mornings. It wasn't always possible with her schedule and the way she liked to get as much rest as possible, but any fan that had been with her since the beginning could tell the difference.

"Now, I know you probably don't want to eat a whole lot since we'll be jumping up and down all day, so..." Kayleigh started, before walking into the pantry, and walking back out, "So, I guess it's a good thing I have a few boxes of cereal. The only thing is I don't know if I have any milk. Jenn does all my grocery shopping, but I don't know if she has done anything lately."

"Haven't been spending a whole lot of time at home lately," Derek asked, as Kayleigh laid the boxes of cereal down in front him. She turned to open the fridge with a shake of her head.

"I flew into Pearson three days ago and spent a little time with my family up until yesterday. I was down in Florida last week packing up a few of my things," she explained, "And then before that I was in Paris, London, Ottawa, Edmonton and Vancouver for a couple of talk shows and signings, so no, I haven't been spending a whole lot of time at home." Derek nodded, but noted the hint of sadness in her voice. He could already tell that she wanted to spend a little bit more time with her family, but due to how her schedule was, she was barely able to that except for a few days here and there.

"You're one very busy woman," Derek said, as she handed him a carton of milk that looked to be brand new.

"It's the only way I've ever known," Kayleigh answered with a shrug as she got a couple of bowls and spoons out of the cupboards and drawers. The pair sat in silence as they filled their bowls with their choice of breakfast cereal. It was a comfortable silence though. It wasn't often that two people, who had been complete strangers up until almost twenty-four hours previous, could sit in complete silence and be okay with that.

"So," Kayleigh started, as she stirred her cereal around, "With the exception of Friday morning, we have the entire week to choreograph our Jive and then I guess we can perfect it afterwards."

"What's happening, Friday," Derek asked, looking at the singer curiously.

"I have to make an appearance on the Morning Show with Florida Georgia Line," she explained, "You're welcome to join me if you like, especially considering you're now being dragged into my divorce thanks to the media." Derek chocked on his cereal, as he shot his head up to look at Kayleigh. The brunette had a sheepish, slightly guilty look on her face.

"And why is that," Derek asked, once he finished coughing.

"Our little outing yesterday made a few headlines this morning," she explained, "They're implying that you may or may not be the reason that Bryan and I got divorced." Derek gawked at her, running his hands through his hair.

"Derek, I'm sorry, I really should have thought about what could have happ-"

"It's okay," Derek cut her off, "You didn't know this was going to happen. Does Bryan know that the headlines aren't true?"

"He's the one that told me about them," she explained, "He called this morning to give me a bit of head's up, but don't worry; Bryan and I will take care of it in our own little messed up way. When we're on the Morning Show, they'll ask us and we'll deny it, like we do everything else they come up with and then when they announce the cast for Dancing with the Stars, everyone will forget that the rumors ever even happened." Derek nodded. He could still tell that Kayleigh felt guilty for dragging him into it, but she couldn't have known what they were going to make of it.

"Alright, I guess I'll just have to put up with being the so-called other man until Friday," Derek joked, causing the two to descend into laughter once more. Kayleigh shook her head as she laughed. How did she get so lucky to have a dance partner like him?

* * *

"Okay," Derek said, leaning against the mirror as he and Kayleigh took a break, "You've got the basics down, so I can start choreographing our routine." Kayleigh nodded as she sipped at the water bottle in her hands. They had been working on technique for the past couple of hours, trying to make it as good as possible for someone who hadn't been training in ballroom for years.

"Okay, do you have anything in mind," she asked, as she leaned against the mirror beside him. Derek shook his head.

"I don't even know what song they gave us yet," he told her, going over to a bag that he had brought down with them, "I thought we could listen to it for the first time together." Kayleigh nodded and walked over to the sound system that she had, had installed when she had remodelled the studio a couple of months ago. Derek loaded the CD and they both waited for a minute before music filled the air.

 _She got a body like an hourglass_  
But, I can give it to you all the time  
She got a booty like a Cadillac  
But, I can send you into overdrive, oh

 _You've been waiting for that, stop, hold up, swing your bat_  
See anybody could be bad to you,  
You need a good girl to blow your mind, yeah

_Bang, bang into the room (I know you want it)_   
_Bang, bang all over you (I'll let you have it)…_

Kayleigh couldn't help it. The moment she heard her own voice fill the room, she started laughing. And as soon as the sound of her laughter filled the air, Derek's joined. Out of all the songs that the producers could have given them, they had to give her and Derek that one.

"My little brother is going to have a heart attack," Kayleigh commented, as her laughter started dying down.

"Aren't you worried about your father," Derek asked, looking at the brunette in pure confusion. Kayleigh shook her head as she tried doing some of the moves that he had just showed her how to do.

"Nope," Kayleigh continued, as she started to throw in a bit of her own style into the moves, "I was married, Derek, my father has no delusions about me anymore if he ever had any. My little brother on the other hand, when he first heard this song, I had been married to Bryan for six months and he voiced very loudly how much he absolutely hated it."

"Luke didn't like Bryan," Derek asked, showing just how much of a fan he was of hers.

"Oh no, he loved him," Kayleigh clarified, "He just hated what the song implies and pretty much outright says." Derek just shook his head. Of course, her little brother would have a problem with some of the lyrics, but had no problem at all singing them in his own songs. Kayleigh was still practicing a few of the moves when Derek decided to ask about Luke and the rest of his band.

"Is he accompanying you on your latest tour," Derek asked, as the song continued to play, "I know he and the rest of the band released an EP earlier this year-"

"Yeah, they'll be joining me for the North American leg," she said, as she grabbed Derek by his hand and pulled him into practicing the moves with her, "Mom wants him to finish high school like I did. Personally, I think that won't happen."

"Why don't you think that it's going to happen?"

"I know my brother," Kayleigh shrugged, as she and Derek started to do some of the tougher moves that he had shown her, "School isn't his…his forte. The music program basically sucks and that's what he wants to do in life, I can't fault him for wanting to follow his dream when I'm doing exactly that." Derek nodded, he could tell how much her familial relationship with Luke meant to her.

"The band sounds really good though," Derek complimented, pausing in his movements, "Did you give them any advice?"

"If you feel that a song should be on the album or the EP, fight for it," Kayleigh answered, as she watched Derek try and work on a sequence, "They spent so many nights and weekends sitting in my parents garage-"

"Is that the same garage that you used when you first started," Derek asked, as he made to take a step, but decided against it. Kayleigh nodded, her ponytail falling into her face as she did.

"The exact same one," Kayleigh chuckled, "Anyways, they spent a lot of nights and weekends sitting in that garage writing those original songs and the last thing that I want them to do is leave something important off of an EP or an album that they worked really hard on."

"Do you miss those days?"

"Kind of," Kayleigh shrugged, as she started doing a bit of her tour choreography as Derek tried to work on their jive, "Like I wouldn't give up everything that it gave me because you know, I wouldn't have this amazing apartment and would still be fighting my brother for the bathroom and TV time, but sitting in my room composing music that was fun, a little frustrating since I was only doing it for a handful of fans at the time, but still fun." If humans had the unfortunate ability to melt, Derek would have been a puddle at her feet. The smile that had spread across her face at the thought of those days just made him smile himself. She looked beautiful even with her hair slicked back because of the sweat.

"Do you ever miss those days, Derek," Kayleigh asked, as she thought back to before her career started, "The days before you weren't a public figure and everyone felt like they owned you and felt like that you owed them something."

"I'm not as famous as you," Derek answered as Ksyleigh came to stand beside him once more, "I'm not followed around as much as you are and I-"

"Nonsense, Derek," Kayleigh said, "You're probably one of the best dancers of our generation; you've got to have people practically gnawing at the bit to be your dance partner."

"Were you 'gnawing at the bit' to be my dance partner," Derek asked, looking down at Kayleigh with a slight smirk on his face. Kayleigh bit her lip and hoped to whatever deity above that she wasn't blushing because as much as she would have been happy to be a part of the show, she had, had her fingers crossed that Derek would be her partner.

"Well, aren't you two just adorable," came a voice causing Derek and Kayleigh to jump a part from one another. Kayleigh looked towards the source and came to see a tall familiar blonde with a lip piercing leaning against the south wall.

"Hi brat," she greeted, "I could have sworn that mom taught you how to knock."

"And I could have sworn that you had a better memory, we were supposed to meet for lunch an hour ago," the blonde shot back, before turning to look at Derek, "Luke and you must be my sister's dance partner on that 'Dancing with Celebrities-"

"Dancing with the Stars," Kayleigh corrected, after smacking her forehead, "This is Derek."

"Hi," Derek greeted, holding his hand out to Luke. Luke looked down at the other blonde's hand before looking back up, not bothering to shake his hand.

"Are you trying to sleep with my sister?"

"Lukas," Kayleigh shrieked, "Derek, I am so sorry. I could have sworn that our mother taught him manners, but it seems to me that nothing-"

"It's okay," Derek assured her before turning to look at Luke, "The protective brother card, I've played that a few times myself." The two blondes sized one another up while Kayleigh just rolled her eyes. The testosterone levels had risen the moment that Luke had unnecessarily confronted Derek about his intentions towards her person. Her little brother was such a dork at times.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luke said, causing Derek to chuckle.

"It's okay, dude, I'm just your sister's professional partner for the next few weeks," Derek explained, looking at Kayleigh out of the corner of his eyes. Part of him wanted to be something more, make her forget any of her past heartbreak, but right now, the most he could do is be there for her as a dance partner.

"Well, good," Luke huffed, walking over towards the mirror, "Because I've got to warn you now, it's a lost cause because I'm going to her and Bryan back-"

"Luke," Kayleigh snapped. Derek's eyes widened at the venom that he could almost hear dripping as she spoke to her little, well not so little, brother. Derek stood in silence as the two siblings stared at one having one of the many silent conversations that he had read about them having.

"It's over, Luke," she finally said out loud, "And the sooner that everybody accepts that, the happier we all will be. Now, why don't you sit there quietly and watch what Derek has come up with our first dance." Luke smiled at his sister and just nodded in defeat.

"Alright," he said, "Alright, I guess I could wait for lunch a little bit longer and see what Derek has planned for your first reality show dance. Are you sure that you and Bryan are ov-"

"Luke," they both started, "Shut up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics belong to Florida Georgia Line (Get Your Shine On) and Jessie J (Bang Bang)...


	5. Let Me Be Your Star

Chapter IV: Let Me Be Your Star

* * *

Kayleigh was exhausted and Derek could read it all over her face. She was sitting on the dance studio floor cross legged, facing the mirror as she sipped at her water bottle. When she wasn't sipping from her water bottle she was humming a tune that he didn't recognize. He practically knew every single song on her album, but the tune she was humming, it was one that he had never heard before.

 _Just give me a reason_  
Just a little bit's enough  
Just a second we're not broken, just bent  
And we can learn to love again

"What's that you're humming," he asked, as he ran a hand through his sweaty blonde locks. Kayleigh looked up at him and smiled.

"It was a song that I was writing back when," she paused again. Derek could sense that once again she had come close to mentioning her ex-husband, but something always stopped her. Maybe it was the heartbreak that she was quietly suffering from or maybe it was the sorrow she felt at the loss of her former marriage.

"You know you can talk to me if you want to," Derek started, "I mean, I don't know what it's like to be married and I definitely don't know what it's like to be divorced, but I-I can be someone who can lend an ear that-"

"Derek," Kayleigh interrupted him mid-thought, "Thanks. That song I was humming, it's a song that I was writing back when Brian and I first separated. It was my clinging hope that maybe the separation was…hope that it was just temporary."

"But, it wasn't," Derek observed, "Obviously."

"Yeah," Kayleigh chuckled, her beautiful laugh filling the quiet air between them, "After the first month, we met for lunch, and we talked about it. We were ourselves again, the people that we had been when we first got together." Derek nodded and watched in silence as he noticed her starting to fiddle with the bracelet that never left her wrist. A gift from her parents when she had signed her recording deal and it had become a familiar sight for all of her fans, but the fiddling was something she almost never did on camera. He knew what it meant though, deep down inside, he knew that it was her tell that in that very moment she was feeling extremely insecure.

"We, uh, we noticed the changes almost immediately," she continued unaware that Derek was watching her intently, "His eyes had the same sparkle that I had fallen in love with, I was laughing more, this passion neither one of us had had in a long time had returned. We thought it was a sign."

"That the divorce was a good idea?"

"No," Kayleigh answered, which surprised him, "We thought we were just happy to see one another again, so I was going to come back to the house in Tampa and take some time off to write my album, we were going to even try to have a baby, but then just as I was packing up the last of my clothes, I noticed that I wasn't wearing either of my rings, I wasn't even wearing any of the jewelry that he gave me."

"Maybe you had just taken them off or decided not to wear any that day," Derek suggested even though something inside him was screaming at him to not even mention the possibility. Kayleigh shook her head though, the moment that the suggestion had left his mouth.

"I hadn't worn my rings since the day I had left Tampa," Kayleigh explained, "The two rings that meant so much to me were shoved into my jewellery box without a second thought that evening and then when there's that tiny possibility that Bri and I will be fine, I can't even put them back on. It was at that moment that I knew that we had to go through with it."

"What did Bryan say when you told him," Derek asked, watching Kayleigh closely once more. As she spoke about the moment she knew the fiddling with her bracelet continued, but it was now paired with her sometimes running her fingers through her long hair that was now flowing down her back.

"He didn't say anything for a moment," Kayleigh sighed, "And I felt horrible, I mean, I thought I was breaking my husband's heart, but then he admitted that he hadn't worn his either except for that day that we had met for lunch. I hadn't even done that."

"And it was in that moment that you both decided to go through with it," Derek said, looking at the brunette in front of him.

"Yeah," Kayleigh nodded, a hint of sadness in her voice, as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek, "A week later we decided that we would both file for divorce and that would be the end of it. We would still be friends, but we just couldn't stay married anymore, not when there was a chance that we could both find someone who was better for us."

"Your brother obviously thinks that the only man for you is Brian," Derek joked, as he watched the sadness disappear slightly from Kayleigh's face. A smile replaced it as well.

"Yeah, well, my brother is a little biased," Kayleigh answered with a slight chuckle, "Brian was the first boyfriend that he really liked. Brian didn't treat him like a kid like my high school boyfriend-"

"Bradley," Derek confirmed causing Kayleigh to look at him out of the corner of her eye. It was becoming more and more obvious to her that Derek knew a lot about her.

"Yeah, Brad," Kayleigh answered with a nod, "Well, when I first brought Brian home to meet him and the folks, he pulled me aside and told me that Brian was 'the one,' anyways from that point forward they were pretty close. Brian took Luke dirt biking, taught him how to drive an ATV and even gave him a few pointers for playing the guitar."

"So, he's not ready to let him go?"

"No, but despite all that he held my hand while I signed the divorce papers," Kayleigh continued, some of the sadness coming back, "So, I guess, I'll keep him around for a little bit longer. Now, why don't we continue practicing, I want to get this right."

* * *

 _Fade in on a girl with a hunger for fame_  
And a face and a name to remember  
The past fades because as of this day,  
Norma Jean's gone, she's moving on.

_Her smile and your fantasies play a duet  
That will make you forget where you are…_

The next morning, Derek tiredly followed the melodic voice of his host into the designer kitchen scratching his head. The week was slowly coming to an end and they would only have just a few measly hours tomorrow afternoon to practice due to Kayleigh's scheduled appearance with her ex-husband and his friend/band mate. Kayleigh was standing by the stove singing along with her iPod as she made what smelled like buttermilk pancakes.

"Someone seems to have worked up a bit of an appetite this morning," Derek joked, as she pointed him to the plate she had already made him, while he had been struggling to get out of the comfy bed she had so generously allowed him to use during his stay in Toronto. Now, that he had spent a couple of nights using her guest room, he doubted that he would get the same amount of rest at a hotel in the Canadian city.

"Someone looks well rested," Kayleigh observed, as she watched him pour some of the specialty maple syrup she kept in her refrigerator, "If I didn't know better, I would say that you looked like you had slept on a cloud."

"I feel like it," Derek responded, "I don't know where you got that mattress, but the moment I laid down I just dosed off."

"It's the feather mattress," Kayleigh shrugged, as she flipped the pancake that was cooking, "Now, I know I said that I was free pretty much the entire week, but my lovely assistant forgot to inform me that I have a nail appointment today in about an hour and then I have a radio interview with CHUM FM to explain my side of this divorce story."

"I thought you said that it was completely mutual," Derek asked, after he swallowed a fluffy piece of heaven that had been slathered in butter and syrup.

"I did," she answered, placing her plate beside him, reaching for the maple syrup, "But, apparently not everyone is buying this completely mutual and very friendly divorce, so I have to go explain it." Derek nodded, before placing his fork and knife down.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"You don't have to," Kayleigh shrugged, "I don't think, we'll get a lot done practicing wise. I mean, I'll be stuck in a chair for my nail appointment because everybody will apparently be looking at my hands tomorrow on the Morning Show instead of listening to the performance, so I can't do the usual self-mani that I usually do, and then I'm stuck at CHUM FM until about 4 tonight, so you'll probably be really bor-"

"I'm sure, I can find something to do," Derek interrupted, trying to find an excuse to spend more time with the singer, "Even if it is just you and I going over ideas for the actual show or showing you some choreography that I thought would fit with our dance."

"I thought we were just perfecting it now," Kayleigh asked, looking at Derek with an amused smile on her face.

"I'm still a little iffy about the ending," he admitted, "You can really dance, everybody knows this and will be expecting a lot from both of us when it comes to the difficulty of the choreography. I-I-I just don't want to let you down."

"And you won't," Kayleigh assured the blonde dancer, "Plus, I don't want to pull out all the stops in the first week, we won't be able to go any higher after a certain pointer. And if you can't go up-"

"You gotta go down," Derek agreed, "Okay, but I'm still a little iffy about the ending."

"Well, if you're iffy about it, I'm sure you'll think of something to top it," Kayleigh said, placing her plate and utensils in the dishwasher, "Now, you're welcome to join me during business hours, but, if you want you're welcome to just barricade yourself in the dance studio and drive yourself crazy over a dance." Derek thought about it for a moment, but he also knew what Kayleigh was trying to tell him in a kind of roundabout way.

"I'll join you then."

"Good."

* * *

"Now, I gotta know the story," the radio DJ asked, "Because, I remember you coming in three years ago, this huge smile on your face and that huge hunk of rock on your left hand. You just couldn't wait to tell everyone that you and Bryan Kelley of Florida Georgia Line were engaged. I mean you were practically jumping in your seat." Kayleigh smiled at the radio DJ, as she continued to go on and on about the past she knew all too well. From where Derek was standing outside the booth, he could easily tell that the smile on Kayleigh's face was fake as fake can be.

"And now, here we are, your first interview with CHUM FM in over a year," the DJ continued, "And you and Brian Kelley just signed the divorce papers. What happened?" Derek drowned out the rest of the interview already knowing the story that the brunette was going to tell. It was the same story that they had told everyone from the moment that the news broke that Kayleigh had moved out of her and Brian's home in Florida to her apartment in the heart of Toronto's downtown core.

"Have you and Brian spoke since you signed the divorce papers," the DJ asked, once Kayleigh was finished, "I mean, we all know that you and Florida Georgia Line are going to be doing the Morning Show tomorrow. So, what everyone wants to know is, will tomorrow morning be the first time that you and Brian have spoken since you both signed the divorce papers and it made official."

"We have spoken," Kayleigh answered, honestly, "With everything that has been going on, we're the only two in our social circles that really know and understand what the other is going through, so even though we are divorced we try to be there-"

"So, what you're saying is that, you and Bryan could be getting back together." The DJ interrupted, looking at Kayleigh expectantly. Derek shook his head in disgust. He knew exactly what the DJ was trying to do. She was trying to get Kayleigh to slip up and reveal any leftover feelings that Kayleigh may have towards Brian and get the first scoop on it all.

"No," Kayleigh answered strongly, "Brian and I, uh, we're better off this way. We've had our time together and it was great, some might say that we were perfect, but we weren't and it's time for us to move on. Yes, we'll always be friends, but, uh, romantically, Brian and I are done and there is no going back."

"Alright, well, you heard it here from the mouth of the woman herself, her and Brian are still friends," the DJ ended, "We'll be back in a moment with Kayleigh when she sings us a song off her new album." The booth was cleared, and Kayleigh made her exit as they radio began playing a few songs that they had lined up via online requests. Derek caught her arm before she could turn away from him.

"You okay," he asked, "That couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't," Kayleigh answered, wiping a single tear from her cheek, "I feel like I let everybody down you know."

"You didn't let anybody down," Derek told her, "You and Brian did what was best for you both and nobody on this planet can fault either of you for doing that." Kayleigh looked up at Derek with her brown eyes and nodded.

"You know, in the short amount of time that we've known each other, you always seem to know what to say," Kayleigh said, with a smile. Derek smiled back at her, neither one of them noticing a flash of a camera taking a picture of the scene.

"Well, I need to look out for my partner," Derek joked, rubbing Kayleigh's arms, "Can't have you having a mental break down before the show even starts for something that really has nothing to do with the show to begin with right?" Kayleigh nodded and smiled. This smile was different from the one that she had given the radio DJ just a few moments earlier. This smile reached her eyes.

"Thanks Derek, that really means a lot you know," she chuckled, "Now, I just have to get through tomorrow's Morning Show interview and the constant badgering until either one of us moves on and maybe even then it won't end. Gah." Kayleigh groaned, and leaned her head against the wall, mentally thinking about the pros and the cons of knocking herself out against the concrete wall.

"I'm sure they'll have better things to talk about once they see how well you do in the competition," Derek assured her, leaning with his back against the wall beside her. Kayleigh opened her eyes and looked at him. He was right and she knew it.

"Okay," she groaned, pushing herself away from the wall.

"Now, go kick some ass and let everybody hear that amazing song," Derek chuckled, patting her on the head, like she was a little child. Kayleigh playfully glowered at him before fixing her hair and letting the quiet production assistant that just walked up to the pair lead her to the audio booth, where the members of her band were waiting for her.

"Ready," she asked them upon entering the booth. The four men nodded with a sincere smile that only served to make the smile on her face widen.

"We're ready when you are," the production assistant explained, as she stood by the door with Derek. Kayleigh nodded, indicating that she was ready. The radio DJ cued her in and the band started playing. Derek watched in fascination as Kayleigh's eyes closed allowing her to feel the music that was playing. He never had the fortune of being able to see her perform live. Either he had a commitment when she was in town or the concert had been sold out before he had gotten the chance to even buy himself, let alone a couple of tickets. It wasn't a concert that was for sure, but even though it was just an old radio audio booth, she still put her entire self into the performance.

 _Dry lightning cracks across the skies_  
Those storm clouds gather in her eyes  
Her daddy was a mean old mister  
Her mama was angel in the ground  
The weather man called for a twister  
She prayed, blow it down

"First time ever hearing her sing live," the production assistant asked, watching Derek as he took in every aspect of the way her hands moved, and the way her eyes portrayed the exact emotion she was trying to get across in the song.

"Sing, no," Derek answered, referring to the moments before they had even met when she was finishing the last song she would need to record for the upcoming album, "Perform, yes." He was captivated as her voice grew strong as the chorus started. It was then that the perfect ending for their first dance hit him; start soft, end strong. They needed to dance to the song the same way she sang one and the judges would never know what hit them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs are (in order of lyrics):   
> Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk  
> Let Me Be Your Star - Smash  
> Blown Away - Carrie Underwood


End file.
